


Heaven Help The Fool Who Falls in Love

by lizbit_1



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Darksparks is main ship, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Might have smut later on, Secret Relationship, background lobalore, except the fake relationship is elliot and natalie, rated M for language for now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-12 22:14:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28767657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizbit_1/pseuds/lizbit_1
Summary: The ratings for the Apex Games are going down. Who knew people could find a bloodsport so boring? To remedy this, the gamemakers come up with the idea to have the two most popular legends, Mirage and Wattson, pretend to be in a relationship. They're already teammates and good friends, so it shouldn't be a problem, right? Right. Except for the fact that Natalie has never dated anyone before, and is actually secretly in love with their other teammate, Renee, who happens to be in love with her as well. This will be fine, right..? Background Lobalore bc I love them.
Relationships: Loba Andrade/Bangalore | Anita Williams, Mirage | Elliott Witt/Wattson | Natalie Paquette, Wattson | Natalie Paquette/Wraith | Renee Blasey
Comments: 13
Kudos: 56





	1. Chapter 1

The first time Natalie hugs Renee it’s just after they win the final match before the midseason break. Surrounded by Elliot’s decoys, Renee drops her weapons, exhausted, turning to face her teammates. The AI voice has barely finished announcing them as the Apex Champions when Natalie flings herself at Renee, catching her off guard.

Renee stumbles back slightly as Natalie’s arms wind around her neck, soft body colliding with hers. She tenses, still on edge from the recent battle, but once the voices in her head finally quiet, she cautiously returns Natalie’s hug, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl.

“Hey guys, you guys!” The decoys closest to them begin to fizzle away as the real Elliot bursts through them, arms spread wide. The remaining decoys follow his movements. “We did it, you guys, uh girls! We won!”

Natalie turns away from Renee as she lets out a peal of laughter, causing Renee’s heart to flutter. Her chest tightens as she watches Natalie leap into Elliot’s open arms, both of them laughing as he sweeps her up, arms holding her tight as he spins them around in circles. “Oh ho, Nat! You were amazing!”

He sets her down after a few spins, making sure she’s steady on her feet before turning to Renee, beaming.

“Witt, you hug me, and you’re dead.” Renee says only partly joking.

“Aw, c’mon, Blasey.” Elliot says tightly, a faux smile on his face. “What will the fans think, you denying your best friend a hug?”

_Cameras._ A voice whispers in her head. _They’re all on you._

Renee swallows. The better your ratings outside of the ring, especially during the off season, the better of a chance you had at coming back the next season. And she couldn’t afford to not come back next season.

She gives Elliot a small smile and allows him to step into her comfort zone, giving him an awkward, one armed hug. Then, before he pulls away, she quickly wraps her other arm around his waist, pretending to hug him properly as she stands on her tiptoes to whisper into his ear. “Thanks.”

He gives her a quick nod and a knowing smile as he steps back, a real smile quickly blossoming on his face as he turns to face the cameras. “For anyone who is at the celebration party tonight, the first round is on me!” He declares as the rest of his decoys fizzle out of sight behind him.

Thankful the focus of the cameras is no longer on her, Renee turns to look at Natalie who is standing next to Elliot. A jolt runs through Renee’s body as her eyes meet blue ones, not realizing that Natalie had also been looking at her.

_She’s always looking at you. Listening for your warnings, watching your back. She’s always looking at you._

Renee slams her eyes shut as Wraith begins to speak in her mind, and she shakes her head. _We’re teammates._ She thinks back. _Of course she’s looking. She always looks out for her teammates._

_She looks at you-_

“Renee?” A gentle voice, as gentle as the touch on her arm, drives Wraith’s voice away and Renee’s eyes fly open to see Natalie looking up at her, a curious look on her face. “Are you alright? The drop ship is waiting for us.”

Renee’s eyes flicker past Natalie’s head to where Elliot is standing next to the drop ship waiting for his teammates.

Renee breathes a sigh of relief as Wraith remains silent, and she smiles at Natalie who immediately smiles back at her. “I’m fine...great, even. I just can’t believe we won.”

Natalie’s eyes light up and she loops her arm through Renee’s and begins to steer her toward the drop ship. “Oh it was so thrilling, wasn’t it?! I thought for sure we were going to be eliminated at least three different times, not to mention we had to respawn Elliot twice-“

“Hey!” Elliot pouts as the two women pass him, walking up the ramp to the ship. “Who got the final kill?”

“Technically Renee did,” Natalie smirks at Elliot as they sit down. “She knocked him, you just finished him.”

Elliot’s pout grows comically large and Natalie begins to laugh as he tries to defend himself, but Renee tunes the both of them out, unable to focus on anything other than the fact that Natalie had yet to let go of her arm.

**

Elliot stays true to his word. Everyone who shows up at the Victor’s Lounge is given a free drink, courtesy of Mirage. Renee is certain he is blowing all of his winnings in order to do so, but who is she to tell him what to do? Witt is a grown man, she muses, watching him dance with one of his decoys atop a table, despite his best efforts to appear otherwise.

From her seat at a booth in the back corner, Renee’s eyes slowly scan the crowd for familiar faces. Ajay and Octavio are attempting to teach Pathfinder how to play pool, as Hound watches on in amusement, occasionally throwing their head back in laughter. Makoa and Anita are engrossed in whatever sport was currently playing on the TV’s surrounding the Lounge, Loba perching delicately on Anita’s lap, looking halfway bored as she taps away on her tablet.

Caustic and Revenant are nowhere to be seen, which suits Renee just fine. She doubts anybody behind the Apex Games is brave enough to make either of them show up to any of the press events.

Crypto is seated at the bar by himself, hunched over a drink that looks to be untouched, and Rampart, the new girl, seems to be having fun playing darts with strangers.

Renee frowns to herself. Where is Natalie? It wasn’t like her to miss out on the afterparty, especially one that was thrown in her favor. Against her better judgement, she pushes herself up out of her seat and wades through the crowd towards Elliot.

She forces her way through the small crowd of fans surrounding Elliot’s table ignoring the gasps and whispers of people once they realize who she is.

“El.” She says loudly. She has no idea how Elliot manages to hear her over the sound of music and the people everywhere talking, but he glances down at the mention of his name and his amber eyes light up.

“Renee!” He shouts excitedly, clambering down off the table. “Renee, hi!” His breath smells of whiskey. “How’s my favorite teammate? Well,” he corrects himself, head bobbing wildly. “My favorite moody teammate.” He winks at her. “What can I do for you?

Renee resists the urge to roll her eyes. “I’m looking for your actual favorite teammate. Have you seen Natalie?”

Elliot’s eyes light up. “Nat? Is she here?”

Renee sighs, frustrated. “That’s what I’m trying to find out. Have you seen her?”

“No. Maybe.” Elliot squints at Renee. “I don’t think so.” He sways on his feet and Renee realizes that he isn’t going to be any help to her.

“Okay, whatever. Thanks anyway, El.” She turns away as he climbs back up onto the table. She forces herself back out through the crowd, making her way over to where Anita, Loba, and Makoa are sitting.

Loba looks up from her phone as she approaches and gives her a pleasant smile. “Good job today.” Loba offers as she goes back to looking at her phone, nails clicking against the screen. “Thought for sure Crypto and that new girl had your number there at the end, but you really came in clutch with that portal.”

Renee smiles slightly, unsure whether she should take Loba’s small compliment at face value. “Uh, thanks. You and me both.” She laughs awkwardly. She is always slightly uncomfortable around Loba; she doesn’t know whether it’s the way she holds herself, always seeming like she believes she’s better than everyone else, or at the very least deserves better than everyone else, or if it’s the way Loba always seems to scrutinize everyone around her, staring at them with her dark eyes like she can see into their soul.

Anita finally tears her gaze away from the TV to look at Renee. “Hey Blasey. Need something?” Renee doesn’t miss the way Anita’s hand curls around Loba’s waist, squeezing gently.

“I’m looking for Natalie.” She says simply. “Have you guys seen her?”

Loba looks up again. “Who?”

Anita scoffs, poking Loba in the side, causing her to squirm slightly. “She means Wattson.”

“Oh.” Loba says plainly, looking down at her phone again. “No, sorry.”

Anita shrugs, looking up at Renee. “Yeah, me neither.”

Makoa must notice the look of distress on Renee’s face because he leans forward and says, “Hey, don’t worry too much. I’m sure she’ll be here soon. The Championship interview is in half an hour and she’s never late.”

Renee groans inwardly. She had forgotten about the interview. “Right. Well I’m just gonna go call her, see where she is.”

Makoa gives Renee a reassuring smile, one she returns, before walking away. She barely makes it more than two feet before a voice sounds in her head.

_He’s behind you._

She spins around, fists clenching, momentarily forgetting where she is. She comes face to face with Blisk who gives a low chuckle, and she takes a step backward. “Oh. Sorry.”

“Still jumpy as ever, I see.” Blisk’s smooth accent is a juxtaposition to his rough voice. “C’mon,” he says gruffly, motioning for her to follow him. “Time for a team meeting.”

Renee glances over at the table where Elliot had been dancing and finds it empty. Blisk must’ve gotten to him first. “I don’t know where Natalie is.” She finds herself saying before she realizes she’s speaking.

Blisk shakes his head. “She’s already in my office. Let’s go.” He jerks his head in the direction of the exit to the stairwell, eyes fixated on Renee, his expression making one thing clear: She doesn’t have a choice.

**

Renee walks into Blisk’s office to see Elliot and Natalie sitting on the couch. Elliot is sprawled out, one of his legs hooked up over the arm of the couch, Natalie sitting perfectly straight, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

Blisk barrels in behind Renee and frowns at Elliot before crossing his arms. “Alright, listen up. This is my least favorite part of the job, so let’s get this over quick.”

Natalie frowns. “What exactly is ‘this’?” She asks.

Blisk ignores her. “Ratings are down this season. People want more excitement among their Legends, especially after the whole business with Revenant and Loba, and frankly, Rampart ain’t getting the job done. Now she’s good enough in the ring, but she doesn’t exactly elicit excitement from anyone.”

“Uh huh.” Elliot looks bored. “What does this have to do with us?”

“You two.” Blisk points fingers at the two Legends sitting on the couch. Natalie’s eyes widen slightly. “You two are the fan favorites. Your poll numbers are higher than any other Legend. Frankly, they don’t even come close.”

He doesn’t even give them time to react. “So this is what we’re gonna do; you two are gonna start dating.”

Natalie’s mouth drops open. Beside her, Elliot’s eyes widen comically. Behind everyone, Renee freezes, certain she had misheard him.

“What?” Elliot lets out a nervous laugh. “You want us...you want us to date?” He lets out another nervous laugh and looks to Natalie who is just staring at Blisk.

“It doesn’t have to be real, you just have to make the fans believe it is. When it comes out that their two favorite Legends are not only on the same team, but also in a relationship together, they’ll watch every match, every interview, read every article and post about not only you both, but the Apex Games as a whole.”

“Uh, I mean,” Elliot sits up finally, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “It kinda makes sense?”

Both Natalie and Renee turn to gawk at Elliot. “How does this make any sense to you, El?” Renee demands. She can feel anger rising in her chest. “Oh wait, I know. More time in the spotlight for Mirage, that’s it, isn’t it? More attention from adoring fans, more interviews, more fame-“

“No!” Elliot cries. “That’s not it at all! If the ratings for the Games keeps dropping, then what's even the point of having the Games anymore? If no one watches, there are no sponsors. No sponsors means no money, no money means we don’t get paid. And I like getting paid!”

Renee lets out a huff of annoyance, crossing her arms over her chest and looking away. Elliot is right; she knows he is. But that doesn’t mean she has to be happy about it.

“Well well, it looks like you got a brain in that head of yours after all, Witt.” Blisk rumbles.

“I’m in.” A soft voice breaks the tension, causing everyone in the room, including Blisk, to look at the speaker in surprise.

“Really?” Blisk sounds pleased. “I figured it would take you a little more convincing.”

Natalie scowls at him. “I didn’t say I like it. But Elliot is right, and if this helps the Games stay up and running, then I’m in.” She swallows, the scowl slowly slipping from her face. “The Arenas...the Ring...it’s all I have left of my Papa. I don’t want to lose it.”

Renee’s heart lurches in her chest, and she finds herself turning away to leave the office.

“Woah, Renee...you’re not staying?” Elliot’s voice stops her.

Renee turns around to look at him and finds she suddenly can’t stand the sight of him. For the longest time, before she met Natalie, he had been her only friend, her only sense of some sort of normalcy. He had been the only one she trusted, a distraction on her lonely nights and from the loud voices in her head. Now when she looks at him, she just feels angry. She doesn’t know why. “What’s the point?” She asks a little harsher than necessary. “It’s not my fake relationship.”

His face falls slightly. “Right, yeah, of course.” He waves her away. “I’ll see you at the interview.”

“Bye.” Renee bites out, before turning and walking out the door, feeling Natalie’s eyes on her the whole time.

**

Renee sits alone at the interview table, doing her best to ignore the clicking of the cameras and the clamoring of the loud crowd in front of her. A movement in her peripheral catches her eye and she turns to find Natalie taking her seat at the table, Elliot’s seat empty between them.

Natalie looks up at Renee, catching her eyes and frowns. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Renee answers. She isn’t sure if she’s lying or not.

Natalie just frowns, shaking her head. “Your eyes...they’re not-”

Whatever it was that Natalie was going to say is cut off by Elliot, well, three Elliots, parading through the door, causing the crowd to erupt into cheers, cameras flashing even more at the sight of the man. Natalie’s eyes immediately flick over to Elliot as his decoys disappear, and a small smile appears on her face as she starts to get out of her seat to meet him.

“There you are!” Elliot is ignoring the crowd now, ignoring Renee as well. Natalie is standing when he arrives next to her and a feeling approximating something between fascination and horror washes over Renee as she watches Elliot lean down, and Natalie stand up on her tiptoes.

A hush falls over the crowd as Elliot kisses Natalie sweetly, a hand on her cheek, blocking the cameras from getting a decent shot. He freezes then, and slowly pulls away from her as Natalie sits down, face bright red. Her blue eyes flick over to Renee, then quickly focus on the table in front of her. Elliot looks sheepishly at the shocked crowd, the occasional camera flash still going off.

Renee spots Ajay in the crowd, eyebrows raised in surprise, Loba and Anita not too far away, also looking shocked.

Elliot chuckles nervously, slowly sitting down between Renee and Natalie. “Well…” He says, glancing over at Natalie before looking back at the crowd. “I guess the cat is out of the bag now, huh?”

The crowd erupts into pandemonium.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Renee comes to a realization

A camera flashes.

“Mirage, how long have you two been dating?”

Another flash.

“Wattson, what is Mirage like as a boyfriend?”

“How has the relationship affected your life inside the ring?”

The flashes increase, Renee’s pulse quickening with it as reporters and fans shout to have their questions heard over one another.

She reaches for the bottle of water in front of her, opting to concentrate on the feeling of the cool water going down her throat over Elliot making up some romantic story about how he first asked Natalie out.

The crowd is still shouting questions, but someone pushes their way forward and asks “Mirage, is this just a fling, or are you and Wattson serious about one another?”

This is the question that grabs Renee’s attention, and she slowly sets her water bottle down, turning to look at Elliot as he stares out at the person who asked the question. How are they going to play this out? On the one hand, a simple fling might not be enough to draw in the kind of ratings that the gamemakers want. On the other hand, pretending to be in a committed relationship with someone you aren’t requires just as much commitment as if you were in one. Renee finds herself suddenly wishing she didn’t have to hear the answer.

Elliot gives the person who asked the question a dazzling smile, but Renee can see a different emotion behind it and quickly realizes something. He doesn’t know how to answer it; or more accurately, he doesn’t want to answer for Natalie. Somehow, foolishly, they had missed this topic of conversation and now Elliot was afraid of answering and trapping Natalie in a long term, fake relationship with him.

 _Don’t be mad at him._ Renee can’t help it. She jumps slightly as Wraith suddenly begins speaking to her, and Elliot turns slightly to look at her. She shakes her head at him, and he turns back away as Wraith continues to talk. _He’s going to be trapped in this as much as she is._

Renee groans inwardly. When did the voice in her head become the voice of reason? She fidgets with the top of the water bottle as she looks over at Natalie and Elliot and then to the crowd, still waiting for an answer.

Elliot gives Natalie an almost imperceptible nod, but the meaning isn’t lost on Renee. He’s letting her decide what she is willing to commit to. Natalie nods back, much less subtle than Elliot did, and makes a show of reaching out for his hand.

“Elliot and I are very serious about each other.” She begins, smiling at him. “He’s everything I could ask for in a romantic partner, and I love-“ Natalie suddenly chokes on her words as her eyes fall on Renee. She stares at her for a split second before forcing her eyes away and back to the crowd. Renee’s heart is pounding in her chest. “I love him very much.” Natalie finishes speaking, but she is no longer smiling.

The flashing of the cameras increase, people shouting more questions and words of congratulations to both Natalie and Elliot, but Renee can barely process any of it. A high pitched whine sounds in her ears, the flashing of the cameras almost blinding her. Her throat feels restricted and she makes a blind grab for the water bottle in front of her, but she drops it in her lap, hands shaking too hard to properly hold anything. Even though the voices in her head are quiet, she still recognizes what’s happening even if she isn’t sure why; she’s having a panic attack.

She used to have them frequently, back before she understood what the voices were, back before she knew they were only there to help. Back before she knew who she was, back before... before Natalie. Something inside Renee snaps, and she stands abruptly.

You aren’t supposed to leave the interview early. It’s the one rule the Legends have outside of the ring, and even though Renee has never understood why, it was a rule she has always followed. Until now. No one in the crowd notices when she stands, the water bottle in her lap falling to the floor. No one notices when she turns, kicking her chair to the side and runs out the door, her throat burning as she gasps for air.

No one except for Natalie.

**

When Renee wakes up the next day, alone in her apartment, she has several missed calls and a short, terse email from Blisk stating that the only reason her pay from last night’s winnings hadn’t been suspended for leaving the interview was because of the focus on Wattson and Mirage’s new relationship.

The missed calls, to no surprise of Renee’s, are from Elliot and Natalie both. A bitter taste forms in Renee’s mouth and she tosses her phone to the side, not wanting to talk to either of them. She still doesn’t know why she feels so angry, or even why she had a panic attack after months of not having them; the only thing she does know is that she doesn’t want to hear another word about the relationship between her teammates.

_They’re probably just worried-_

“Shut up!” Renee shouts at the voice in her head, punching the wall next to her bed. The sharp bite of pain in her knuckles chases Wraith away, but it only serves to worsen Renee’s mood. She curses softly under her breath and glances at the clock on her bedside. 11:37am.

Renee sighs and rolls out of bed, looking for her gym clothes. She doesn’t want to talk to anyone at the moment, and the training room is usually empty in the late morning, save for one or two of the new recruits and they were usually too afraid to talk to her anyway. She gets dressed, not bothering to eat anything, and pauses in the doorway, looking back at her bed where her phone lies, and after a moment’s deliberation, leaves without it. She doesn’t want to talk to anyone today.

**

Renee is left alone in the training room for thirty minutes, channeling her frustrations into a punching bag. Thirty blessed minutes alone before an annoyance, otherwise known as Rampart, shows up.

“Hey Blasey!” The new girl either doesn’t notice that Renee is in a bad mood, or she simply doesn’t care. “Nice win yesterday!” She drops her bag of gear on a bench next to Renee. “Doin’ alright?”

Renee simply grunts in response as she continues to assault the punching bag, hoping Rampart will take the hint and leave.

“Had to have been a crazy day for you.” Rampart continues casually. “First you barely win that game, then you find out that your teammates are dating!”

Renee grits her teeth.

“Although you knew that maybe, yeah?” She can feel Rampart’s eyes on her but she continues to ignore her.

“Hey, you sure you doin’ alright?”

“I’m fine!” Renee suddenly shouts, pivoting on her feet to face Rampart. “I’m just trying to work out, not have a conversation!”

Rampart doesn’t flinch. “Punching bags don't really seem your style, Blasey.”

Renee scowls at her, crossing her arms. “How do you even know my name?”

Rampart scoffs at that. “You’re joking, right? Mate, I’m roommates with Eliott. There are no secrets in that apartment.”

Renee’s mouth twists. “Right.”

“But if it makes you feel any better, my name is Ramya. Figured you probably didn’t know that.” Ramya gives her a crooked smile.

Renee just stares at the girl. “Listen, I don’t mean to be rude, but-“

“Did you know Natalie and Witt were dating?” Ramya interjects. “Because Witt can’t keep a secret to save his life, and I just feel like there is no way in hell that he would be able to...Hey, are you seriously ignoring me?”

Renee had turned back around to face the punching bag. “I don’t want to talk.”

“Right.” Ramya says. “Don’t want to talk in general, or just don’t want to talk about Natalie and Witt?”

Renee can’t help it; she freezes up as she prepares to deliver the first punch, earning a sound of triumph from Ramya. “I knew it!” She crows from behind Renee. “You’re jealous!”

Renee rolls her eyes as she begins to assault the punching bag again. “Please. What on earth do I have to be jealous of?”

“Well for starters, I know you and Witt used to sleep together.”

Renee loses her footing, her next swing going wide. She scrambles to regain her composure, whirling around to face Ramya. “What the hell? How do you know that?” She demands.

Ramya scoffs, crossing her arms. “I just told you, Witt can’t keep a secret to save his life! Besides.” Ramya frowns then. “He didn’t make it seem like it was something that needed to be kept a secret.”

Renee’s cheeks are hot and she knows it’s from more than just the sweat of working out. “I mean, no, not exactly, I...we didn’t keep it a secret, but it’s not like we went around broadcasting it! And besides!” She defends herself. “Why is he even still talking about it?”

Ramya shrugs. “It came up in a drinking game.”

Renee groans, burying her face into her hands before a sudden, horrifying thought crosses her mind. “Listen, Ramya.” She looks up, suddenly desperate. “Please don’t tell Natalie.”

Ramya frowns. “Wait, what?”

“Elliot and I haven’t slept together in almost a year. We stopped shortly after Natalie joined the games, please don’t tell her.” Renee realizes she is dangerously close to begging, but she can’t bring herself to care.

“Ooo-kay.” Ramya draws out the word, confused, looking like a million things are racing through her mind.

Renee isn’t quite sure whether or not she can take the girl at her word, but anymore and she definitely will be begging and it’s too early in the day for that. She begins to turn back around but a look of realization crosses over Ramya’s face and her jaw suddenly drops. “What, what is it?” Renee asks.

“You…” Ramya points at Renee. “I get it now.”

A feeling of irritation crawls up Renee’s spine. “What, get what?”

Ramya smiles that crooked smile at her again. “You’re not jealous because you used to sleep with Witt...you’re jealous of him.”

Renee crosses her arms at Ramya. “What? Don’t be ridiculous. Why would I be jealous of Elliot?”

Ramya simply shrugs. “For the same reason you don’t want Natalie to know that you used to sleep with him.”

Renee’s stomach twists violently at Ramya’s words, her heart lurching in her chest. “I...you...well, she…” She scrambles to find something to say in response, but Ramya simply laughs, and shakes her head.

“Hey, don’t worry mate.” She grabs her bag and slings it over her shoulder, heading towards the door to the firing range. “I’m much better at keeping secrets than Witt. I won’t tell anyone you’re in love with Natalie.” She winks at Renee before disappearing behind the heavy double doors.

Renee can feel her heart pounding in her chest, her throat, and all the way down to her fingertips as she suddenly begins to understand why she has been so angry, why she couldn’t bring herself to look at Elliot, and why she had reacted so harshly to Natalie telling the paparazzi that she loved Elliott.

Ramya is right, she realizes, struggling to swallow around the lump in her throat.

She is in love with Natalie Paquette.


End file.
